Snow Cactus
by mediahybrid117
Summary: Link, Ike, Ganondorf, and Meta Knight are sent to find a special cactus in a snowy wasteland when the ship they're borrowing crashes due to poor piloting. Now they have to wait for the rescue, or wait for their death. Blood- there will always be blood, and some swears, so rated T. Bad summary, I hope the story piques your interest, though. I could use a better title, though...
1. Chapter 1

_Ganondorf sat in the cockpit of the borrowed Great Fox. He, Link, Ike and Meta Knight were all sent by Fox and Falco to retrieve the root of a frozen breed of cactus. Link got up and started for the back of the ship to retrieve coats for everyone. While he was back there, he found Meta Knight sharpening his sword._

_"__I'm not too thrilled about this mission." He said, checking the edge of his blade for sharpness and wiping it down with a damp rag._

_Link sighed, "None of us are. But Fox and Falco need that root because it's apparently the only cure to whatever they have." He reached into the cabinet and shuffled through._

_"__Not the only cure." Meta Knight took the sharpening stone and focused on one of the several points, "Perhaps _a_ cure, but not the _only_ cure." He'd woken up to Kirby's random screaming early that morning. Nothing was wrong; Kirby just wanted to annoy Meta Knight. So, as Link could tell, Meta Knight wasn't in the best of moods._

_Link shrugged, "Just trying to help them out." He pulled his brows together and closed the cabinet door, "They're sending us on a mission in a frozen mountain, and they don't even supply us with coats?" he looked at Meta Knight who was shaking his head, "You can handle the cold, can you?"_

_"__Not exactly." He said. He looked up at Link, "It makes my wings feel brittle." He shifted uncomfortably._

_Link sighed and started back to the front when the entire ship shook and the wing that Meta Knight sat by shattered, showing a mountain going by as well as the snowy terrain. Meta stabbed his sword into his seat and held on, watching the ground go by._

_"__Meta, help?" Link grunted behind him._

_He turned around and noticed Link lying against one of the seats holding on for his life. Sticking from his right side was a piece of the framework for the wing. Meta Knight jumped down and made his way to Link's side, forcing his way past the suction. Once the air settled, Meta Knight took a closer look at Link's wound._

_"__There were first aid supplies in that cabinet I was just checking in." Link groaned._

_Meta jumped up and hovered to dig through the supplies. He folded his wings, hurried to Link and grasped the piece, "Ready?" he asked._

_"__Just get it out." Link growled, clenching a fist, the other hand hovering by the wound and shaking._

_"__Alright." Meta Knight mentally counted to three and yanked the piece out, earning a yell in pain from Link. He immediately got a gauze pad to press against the wound when everything went black._

Link and Ike emerged from the rubble of Fox's fallen Great Fox. They looked at each other, "We're dead." Link said.

"No." Ike shook his head, "If anything, Ganondorf is." He said, "He was piloting."

"If he survived." Link sighed and arched his back and cracked the middle of his spine, "Ah." He grunted and felt the side of his neck, "Any injuries?" he asked.

Ike nursed his left arm, "I think my arm is broken." He looked up at Link, "You?"

Link checked around him in case there was anything he couldn't feel, intentionally missing the stab wound so he wasn't worried about. "Not that I can tell. I'm not sore, so…" He lied.

"Your side's bleeding quite a bit, though." Ike pointed out.

Link looked down and acted surprised he missed it. Blood stained his tunic where he was stabbed, but it looked like it was just a small cut. "Shit…" he swore under his breath. Clanging caught his attention and brought it back to the Great Fox.

Ganondorf pulled himself out from underneath one of the sheets of metal that surrounded the crash site. He stood up and looked back at the wreck, "Fox is a liar."

"How is he a liar? You're the one who crashed it." Ike asked. Link turned around distracted with something else.

"He told me it was like flying the Halberd. Have you not seen the controls inside?" Ganondorf asked in defense.

"If it was like flying the Halberd, you should've let Meta Knight fly it." Ike snapped.

"It wasn't like flying the Halberd." He crossed his arms in aggravation from being yelled at by someone who reminded him of Link, "Besides, he didn't know where we were going." His fire red brows pulled together and he leaned over to see pass Ike, "Oh, terrific." He said in disappointment.

Ike turned around to see Link knelt by Meta Knight. He was in more questionable condition than anyone else. Link's side had a small stab wound that everyone thought was a cut he can survive from, Ike's left arm was broken, and Ganondorf had a small, non-life-threatening head injury.

"Meta?" Link called gently, "Are you alright?" he asked.

Meta Knight let out a weak groan. His head was bleeding and a piece of shattered frame from the ship had Meta Knight's side impaled, from front to back.

"Say something if you can hear me." Link said, gently shaking his shoulder.

He took a deep breath to speak, but he coughed instead, "Where…" he managed, "Where are we?"

Link looked around so he would answer. But it was a excellent question, "Um, Ike? Ganondorf? Where are we?" he asked.

The standing two looked around at the frozen wonderland they were stuck in. "Oh shit." Ike swore.

Link growled, "No matter. Meta needs help." He said, "Someone help me get his out so I can wrap it. Meta, I'm going to need your cape."

"I… don't care…" he said.

"Just hang in there." Link said, taking hold of the shrapnel as Ike knelt by him and took off Meta Knight's cape. "When I get this out, you need to wrap the wound." Link said.

"I know."

Ganondorf walked up and watched the emergency operation. He didn't want to admit to it, but he was concerned.

"Three, two, one." Link pulled the shrapnel out, Ike pressed the cloth against Meta Knight's wounds. Meta Knight yelled in pain, his wings opened and lowered at the pain. They began trembling. "It's cold here…" He shivered.

Link and Ike didn't know what to say to that. They were cold too, but they all at least had sleeves. Link quickly thought, "Whichever one of you with the thicker sleeves, give me your cape to wrap him up in. The other one, salvage the ship and try to make shelter with it."

Ike and Ganondorf looked at each other. Ike turned around and started moving pieces of the ship around while Ganondorf undid his cape and handed it to Link.

"Thank you." Link draped the cape over Meta Knight and picked him up in it, wrapping the rest of the cape around him. "Meta, would you be more comfortable with the mask off?"

"The mask stays on, thank you." Meta Knight barely whispered, still shaking from blood loss and the snow.

"Alright. As you wish." Link turned around to see the progress Ike was making with Ganondorf's help. He was shaking as well, but mainly from the cold. He'd completely forgotten about his own wound.

"How's this?" Ike finally asked.

Link nodded, "It's good, thank you." He walked into the makeshift shack and laid Meta Knight against a piece of metal that was still warm. "How's that?" Link asked.

Meta Knight just nodded and closed his eyes. He remained still.

Link pressed his ear against Meta Knight's chest and heard his heartbeat, then he sighed in relief.

"Is he okay?" Ike asked.

Link backed away and nodded, "He just fell asleep."

"He's comfortable with that mask?" Ganondorf asked doubtingly.

"He wanted to keep it on." Link said. This was probably the most friendly conversation he's carried with Ganondorf since they met.

"I wonder what he looks like without it." Ike sat down, jumping back up immediately from the snow's coldness, "We need to make a fire." He complained.

Link turned around and found the spot closest to the center of the shelter. He dropped to his knees and sunk his fingertips into the snow and pawed it to the side, shaking his hand free of the small ice shards.

Ganondorf dropped to his knees and began digging with him, "How big are you trying to make this?"

Link turned around and looked at Meta Knight, "As big around as him."

Ganondorf nodded, they were almost done.

"Ike, you can make fire, can you?"

Ike nodded.

"Can't you use Din's Fire?" Ganondorf asked.

"No, Zelda can. I have fire arrows but that's it. I need magic for those and I'm out." Link explained. "Plus, they're not even with me." He sat on his haunches and clenched his fists and opened his hands, "I think that's it." He said, trying to regain feeling in his hands.

Ganondorf backed away and let Ike impale the ground with his sword, flames sparking immediately. "As long as that's there, the fire will keep burning."

Link and Ganondorf thrust their hands into the flames, hoping to get them warmed up again. Ike carefully picked up Meta Knight and laid him next to the fire. "The guy's small, but kind of awkward to carry, isn't he?" Ike commented.

"Yeah, like Kirby." Link nodded and rubbed his hands together. "Meta's wings at least makes it a little easier."

"Yeah. Wait- you had to carry Kirby?" Ike asked, warming his hands.

"He got scared and wanted to be with Peach. Since it was in the middle of the night and he had a nightmare, I had to carry him to Peach's room." Link explained. "Meta Knight is the same general shape."

"General?" Ganondorf asked as though Link was criticizing that particular race of odd beings. He pulled his hands from the flame before they were cooked.

"We don't know what's under that mask." Link said. "For all we know, Meta could be a different colored version of Kirby." He grunted and laid against the same wall Meta Knight was just against, ignoring the snow he was sitting on. He put a cold hand against the wound that he was just remembering he had.

"Here." Ike took off his head band and wrapped it around Link's waist, covering the cut and keeping the blood in. He winced when he turned his arm the wrong way.

"Both of you two idiots sit still." Ganondorf growled and pulled off Ike's cape, using his sword to cut it into strips of fabric. He leaned over and finished wrapping Link's waist and looked around.

"What are you looking for?" Ike asked.

"Something to wrap with your arm." He said. Then he looked outside of the shelter. "We could use that piece that impaled Meta Knight."

"That's not right." Link said.

"I don't think we have much choice." Ike said. "He's thinking about our survival, so let him use the piece." He said.

Feeling as though he'd been snapped at, Link laid his head back and kept his mouth shut.

"Sorry." Ike apologized. "I'm just a little hungry. I skipped breakfast."

Ganondorf had already left the shelter in search of the shrapnel.

"Ike?" Link asked.

"What?" he looked over.

"Don't you have the sheath for your sword?" he asked.

"My sword doesn't have one. It never came with one. Can you imagine a scabbard for a blade this big?" he pointed at the sword protruding from the ground.

Link sighed, "Of course I don't have mine with me."

"I can't find it." Ganondorf returned. Anything else we can use? Link did you bring some arrows?"

"I don't have _any_ weapons on me." He said, hating himself for seeming useless. "I'm sorry."

Ganondorf thought for a bit. "What can we use?"

"We still haven't scavenged the inside of the ship." Ike said, standing up and walking inside, dodging Ganondorf's swiping hand to make him sit back down, "I'll be back." He said.

Link stared at the top piece of metal that served as a roof. Fatigue finally reaching him, "What the heck were we doing out here in the first place? If we were desperate enough to ask to borrow Fox's Great Fox, then was it really that important?" he asked.

The Prince of Darkness looked at Link blankly, surprised to hear some doubt come from him of all people, for as long as he's known him. He sighed and looked ahead, trying to remember himself. "Fox and Falco got sick and Fox told us to use the Great Fox, since Wolf wasn't willing to help them. Why he picked us, I don't know."

"My navigation, your ability to pilot…" Link began counting on his fingers, "Ike's… I dunno. Meta Knight's ability to reach high places, higher than you can reach."

"I guess that makes sense." Ganondorf nodded. "What were we supposed to be getting?"

"Snow root." Ike said with a broken stake and Meta Knight's sword in his hand as he ducked out of the Great Fox. "It grows in cold places like this. Except it likes mountains, which is why Meta Knight was sent with us. The mountains around here are impossible for even the Ice Climbers to climb. I was sent with you to defrost the plant on top of the root so we could actually get to the root." He dropped the sword by his own sword.

"Why defrost the plant?" Link asked, pulling his brows together.

"When it's frozen, it acts like a cactus. When it's defrosted, the needles are withdrawn." Ike sat back down and handed Ganondorf the stake, allowing him to try and fix his arm.

"This is going to hurt."Ganondorf warned, he straightened Ike's arm and put the stake against it, tying a strip of his cape around the broken arm. "Did you find any food in there?"

Ike chuckled sarcastically, "No." he grunted from having his arm straightened out.

Ganondorf stepped up dangerously and lifted up Ike by his collar, "You mean to tell me that we're stranded in the middle of nowhere with two half-dead men and no food?"

"Ganon!" Link snapped, "It wasn't his fault. We didn't expect to crash out here and Fox didn't think we'd need that many supplies for a run that wouldn't even take very long." He grunted. "And I'm not half-dead, I'll be fine."

Ganondorf glowered at Link and dropped Ike, "Very well." He sat back down.

"Besides, it's better to have a more… calm atmosphere while Meta's recovering." Link said, "And not be at each other's throats and have one or two of us alive when we get home."

"No offense Link, but _how_ are we getting home?" Ike asked, "The Great Fox is destroyed and the only one here who can fly is unconscious and too small to carry _all_ of us at once."

Link opened his mouth to say something, but Ike had a point. He sighed defeated.

"When Meta Knight wakes up and if he's able to walk, we'll start walking in the direction we came from." Ganondorf suggested.

"No." Ike said flatly. "That'll get us killed."

"We have to wait here." Link said, "We'd starve to death before we found help. But if we stay… there's a good chance we'd be buried in snow."

Ike gave him a dark look, not in anger, but in slight fear, "So we're pretty much dead either way."

Ganondorf shook his head and carefully rubbed his head, "Sounds like it."

Link's eyes drifted closed. After a few minutes of uncomfortable sleep, he woke up to Ike gently shaking him, "Stay awake." He said. He looked around to see passed him and saw Ganondorf waking Meta Knight. "Did we get help?"

Ike shook his head sadly, "No. We can't be sleeping too much out here." He said, "The snow could freeze us to death. We're trying to keep everyone alive."

"Ike, he's not waking up."Ganondorf called.

The other two swordsmen gathered around Meta Knight, "Meta?" Ike called.

Link leaned over and listened to Meta Knight's chest. "Meta, wake up!" he snapped.

Meta Knight's eyes shot open and he coughed, "What?" he groaned, feeling his injury.

Ike explained everything to him that he explained to Link. Meta Knight nodded, "I understand completely…" he grunted and forced himself to sit up.

"Easy on your wound." Ike said, helping him up, "You sure you want to keep your mask on?" he asked.

"It stays." Meta Knight said harshly. Then his stomach growled, "Tell me there's food." He said.

"Nope." Link shook his head, "Ike already checked."

Meta Knight sighed and looked outside, "We're in for a long wait, aren't we?"

Link nodded, "Yeah, we are." He stared off. What they were waiting for, they couldn't decide whether they were being rescued or just waiting for their death.

**I'll be honest, I was kinda bored writing this one and on a serious SSBB streak. I don't expect too many people to really care much for this story, but- you know- here it is.**


	2. Chapter 2

It had been two days since they crashed. Meta Knight's condition was unstable. He'd fall asleep, wake up and feel fine, or he'd wake up and not even speak. He was having one of those particular moments, but he seemed worse than before.

The remaining able three had managed to find fire blankets and made themselves beds around the fire, that way they could get some sleep without worrying about dying in their sleep. As Link laid in his makeshift bed, he stared at Meta Knight who had his back toward him. Link squinted his eyes and noticed that he was a lighter color than the dark blue he was supposed to be. He got up, "Meta?"

He groaned weakly, but even that was almost inaudible.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" He asked, practically hovering over him, trying to get a better look at Meta Knight's masked face.

"My… body… hurts…" he barely whispered.

"Are you cold?"

"Very…" he said quietly.

Link felt like he was talking to someone who was dying and he didn't like it. He carefully pulled him closer to the fire and put his blanket over him, "You're going to be alright." He said soothingly. He looked around and found Ganondorf and Ike sleeping. He looked back down at Meta Knight, who claimed he was cold, but yet he was sweating. The side of his body that wasn't facing the flame was lightly frosted over. His eyes were barely open and his breathing came out as puffing wheezes. Link finally realized that Meta Knight was sick. He sat back and shook his head, sighing that they might lose him. Unless…

Link looked in the direction they were flying in before they crashed and saw the faint outline of mountains. He looked back down at Meta Knight and sighed.

Hours later, Ike and Ganondorf had finally stirred and looked around. "Where's Link?" Ganondorf asked.

"For one who hates his guts, you sound awfully concerned." Ike said. Then he got up and checked the area around, "That's an excellent question." He said upon his return. Then he looked down at Meta Knight, "Hey, Meta, you're not looking too well."

Meta Knight just stared ahead. He knew Link left, to where, he didn't know. He coughed slightly, wheezing as he inhaled.

"Isn't that Link's blanket?" Ike asked.

Meta Knight pulled it in closer to him, as though they were intending on taking it away from him.

"It is." Ganondorf said.

"Meta," Ike knelt in front of him, "Did you see where Link went?"

He just looked at him and closed his eyes.

Ike sunk. He sat back and brushed his hair back with his good arm, "Shit." He said.

"What? What happened?"

"He passed out again." Ike motioned to Meta Knight. He moved to sit against a makeshift wall, "We're going to die out here."

"We are not!" Ganondorf snapped, "If anything, Link probably went insane over lack of food and he went hunting."

"In the middle of nowhere?" Ike asked, "Ganondorf, there's nothing to be eaten out here. We've been here for two and a half, almost three days, and I haven't seen a single animal out here. Not even a predator. There's _no_ food out here." He snapped back, "He left us and didn't tell us where he was going, as if there was anywhere he could go."

Ganondorf raised his fist as though he was preparing to hit him. But instead of hitting him, like Ike expected, he took a deep breath and sighed deeply. He sat down next to Ike, "I was trying to stay positive. That's what Link would've done. I will be honest, I'm scared to death of what's going to happen. And it may be hard to believe, but I actually am worried about where Link may have ended up." He sighed and scratched the back of his neck, "For all we know, he could've gone and committed suicide by just walking out there and trying to find help. The boy has guts, I'll admit. I mean, he fights me all the time and I'm twice his size. At least. He's stupid with bravery."

"Meta's fought you and you're four times his size."

"We might end up losing him too…" Ganondorf said sadly. "We all might die out here." He said.

Ike just looked at him, and thinking about it, he was huge. He looked back down at Meta Knight, "You know, I've never seen this side of you."

"The truly scared side? That's because this is the only time I'm actually thinking this way. If we were trapped in the jungle or the mountains, then I'd probably be a little bit more of an evil bastard to everyone."

Ike shrugged, "I like the nicer side of you better than the evil bastard side."

Ganondorf couldn't help but to let out a slight chuckle.

Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountains that Ike was staring at, Link stood at the base, shaking violently of the cold (despite the fact he brought a blanket with him to wear as a cape) and studied the ledges for the weird blue cactus they were sent out for in the first place. He looked around and found the Snow Cactus. However, he remembered the reason Meta Knight was with them to begin with. He furrowed his brows and pulled out a knife he took from Ganondorf and stabbed the wall, hoping to uncover some rocks he could use to climb. He found the walls were really made of just solid ice. He made himself footholds and started climbing. He slipped and fell back on the first three tries. He stared up at the sky and took a moment to recover from the third fall, mentally cursing himself for stressing the wound on his side. He got up once more and tried again, taking his time.

When he reached the top, he looked down at the cactus and carefully began cutting parts of it off so he could access the roots. He didn't care if he brought back a full, living cactus. It had fruit, so he held onto them, dropping them into his hat that he used as a pouch at the moment. He finally began pulling up the fat, short roots that held the plant into the frozen ground. With his shaking hands, he studied the root before putting it into the bag, as though he was worried to have any bugs crawling on it. He finally tied the hat to his belt and climbed down, making his way back. He intended on giving Meta Knight some of the root when he got back. Then he'd pull through and they'd all survive long enough to get help. Hopefully. Then when they got help, he'd give Fox and Falco the root. He kept the fruit, so he and Peach or Zelda could plant the seeds so they will never have to make this run again. He wondered how everyone was doing, if they'd even noticed that they hadn't returned yet. They'd notice. The Great Fox is not a small ship. And without Ganondorf's complaining, they're sure to notice. He began coughing violently. He dropped to his knees and kept coughing, "No…" he coughed and forced himself back up. He pulled a small piece of the root out of the hat and cut it smaller so he could put it in his mouth. It tasted like ginger, but it was very soft. It more or less dissolved in his mouth. He stared ahead and continued walking.

"Hey, is that Link?" Ike squinted to see.

Ganondorf squinted, "It is!" he got up and met with his rival. "Where were you?"

Link collapsed before he answered.

Ganondorf caught him, "He's frozen!" he called and pulled Link into the shelter, lying him next to the fire.

Ike checked him, finding that Link's skin and hair was slightly frosted over, his tunic was slightly more redder than it was before, and his skin was practically an ice blue and his lips purple. Then he noticed something missing; "Where's his hat?"

Ganondorf pulled it off of his belt and felt the weight inside, "What on earth?" he opened the top and looked inside, "Hey, isn't this the root we're out here for?"

Ike looked at it, "It is."

Link coughed slightly, "Give some to Meta…" he groaned and got up.

"Kid, are you okay?" Ike asked.

"I'm fine. It's freezing out there." He took the hat from Ganondorf and pulled a small bit of the root out. He took the knife out of his belt and cut the root, replacing the rest and returning the knife to its owner. "Is Meta Knight awake?"

"No."

Link knelt next to Meta Knight and hesitated before taking off his mask. He paused before continuing and stared for a moment.

"What's he look like?" Ike asked, unable to see passed Link's back.

"A blue version of Kirby. But a little more serious." Link said, astonished. It wasn't the face he was worried about, he was worried about how pale he was.

"Really?" the two peered over Link's shoulder to get a look themselves. Ganondorf almost exploded with laughter, but instead he turned around and took a deep breath.

Link sighed and carefully slipped the root into Meta Knight's mouth, replacing the mask just the way it was supposed to be.

Ike looked down and away. Link put his hands to his head and took deep breaths. Ganondorf refrained from laughing. Ike was finally the one to break the silence, "And here we thought he was supposed to be intimidating."

Ganondorf finally broke into laughter.

"Guys, guys…" Link chuckled and took a deep breath while Ike and Ganondorf rolled on the ground and laughed. "There's a reason he wears that mask." he said, "I'm sure this was why." He sat on his pile of blankets.

"Why? Cause people won't take him seriously?" Ike asked, trying to breathe.

"Because he's adorable and looks exactly like Kirby?" Ganondorf laughed, him saying adorable even sounded funny.

Link took a deep breath, "Yeah." It was obvious that he had a hard time staying calm about the situation. Then he remembered how pale Meta Knight was. "He's really sick you guys."

Ike wiped his eyes and sat up, "He what?"

"He's sick." Link repeated, "He wasn't sick before we left. Which usually means that his wound is infected."

Ike and Ganondorf stopped laughing and looked at each other.

"Ike, were there flares or anything in the ship that can send a signal?"

"The cockpit was still intact. But I doubt it has any power." Ike informed.

"I'll work on it," Ganondorf stood up.

"If you get a signal, call for help." Link said. He sighed. Then he realized that his throat wasn't scratchy anymore and that he wasn't coughing. But then, he realized that his body had grown completely numb.

"So you think this stuff will work on Meta?" Ike asked.

Link nodded, "It works. I promise." He leaned against the makeshift wall.

"Good." Ike said. Then he looked at Link for a while, "Did you really go out there _just_ to collect that root?" He earned a nod, "Why?"

"We needed it. Meta got sick and was barely responding. I got a little bit of whatever he had. I _had_ to."

"So you risked your life trying to get something you didn't know was even out here?"

Link gave him an exhausted and weakened look, "Desperate times calls for desperate measures." He said before passing out.

"Whoa, Link!?" Ike jumped up and checked on him, not expecting him to fall asleep so easily and so quick on him. He looked at his side and found it was bleeding again. He sunk. It was so cold that Link didn't even feel how bad the cut really was on his side. He reopened the wound who knows when and it's been bleeding since. "Ganon!" he called in fear.

Meta Knight groaned behind him, "Ugh… what the-?" he rolled over, "Ah-" he winced and lifted his mask just enough to spit out whatever was in his mouth. He looked up and saw Ike kneeling in front of Link, "Is he okay?" he pushed himself to his feet and walked toward them.

"He passed out. He lost too much blood from that cut." Ike said concerned, trying to keep a smile hidden from him.

"I got a signal," Ganondorf returned, "What's wrong with Link?" he asked. He saw Meta Knight and almost laughed, "Good to see you're awake."

"He lost too much blood." Ike repeated, "He needs help."

"Help's on the way." Ganondorf said.

"Why's he blue?" Meta Knight asked.

"He went out and got some of that root for you." Ike said.

"He almost froze himself to death just to get that root?" he asked in agitation, "He could've died."

"So could you." Ike snapped. "He knew you were sick, so he got it to help you."

Meta Knight crossed his arms, "Selfless fool."

"He was trying to help you."

Meta Knight thought about how Link was the first to check on him whenever he needed it. When Meta Knight was thrown from the ship and impaled, Link was the first at his side. He gave everyone instructions as to what to do and even had them pitch in and give him something to keep warm in. He looked down, it was because of him that Link went out and looked for the root. And in all of that, he apparently ignored his own injury. He looked back at Link, "It's not a cut." He said. He had to return the favor he was never able to take care of before.

"What?" Ike looked at him.

"It's deep." He explained, "A piece of the ship stabbed him, just like it stabbed me, but it didn't impale him."

"You decide now to tell us?" Ganondorf asked.

"I've been unconscious this whole time. That and I thought he told you two." He sighed, "Then again, considering that he went out and got that root for me, he probably didn't tell you because he didn't want you to worry."

"Then, how do you know he was stabbed?" Ganondorf asked, enraged that he wasn't informed earlier.

"I saw it happen. I was the one to take it out because he begged me to."

"When did this happen?"

"When the mountain hit the wing." Meta Knight explained, "Before we fully crashed."

"That was five minutes before we actually crashed." Ike furrowed his brows.

"I was trying to take care of the wound, but we didn't have time. When we crashed I was thrown out of the ship and that metal impaled me."

Ganondorf pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damn…" he sat down. "That idiot." He growled, "Too stubborn for his own good."

"Is there anything left of my cape?" Ike asked him.

"No, I used it on you two." Ganondorf shook his head.

Ike sat down and watched Link. "Help is on the way, right?"

"Yes." He nodded, "Marth and Toon Link answered, so they're coming with Kirby and Zelda."

"How long will it take?" Meta Knight asked.

"I don't know."

They sat silently and waited for help to arrive. Before long, Meta Knight fell asleep. Then Ike. Ganondorf sat there and stared at the wall opposing him. He didn't react when he heard an engine above him. He didn't react then the engine landed next to him and the mechanical hiss sounded as a door opened. He didn't even react when he heard the familiar voices of Marth, Zelda, Toon Link and Kirby calling for joy.


	3. Chapter 3

Zelda knelt by Link and studied him in worry. "Link?" she called sweetly. She looked down at the stab wound that still bled. In his hand, he tightly clutched his hat containing the roots and fruit. She frowned and changed forms to Sheik, carefully picking Link up and carrying him into the ship. Having tied the hat to his own belt.

Kirby pat Meta Knight's shoulder and batted at his mask. "Meta?" he asked. "Meta, wake up."

Meta Knight opened his eyes and nodded.

Kirby helped him up and walked him onto the Dragoon, the ship that came to their rescue.

"Ike." Marth knelt by him and pat his knee, "Ike, brother, time to wake up. We're here to take you home."

Ike looked up at him and let him walk him to the ship.

Toon Link watched Ganondorf. He'd never seen him like this before. He seemed really depressed. He crouched in front of Ganondorf and looked up at him with his bag, cat-like eyes. "You want to go home?" he asked.

Ganondorf nodded.

"Come on." Toon Link grabbed his hand and pulled on him. "Let's go!" he cried, "Peach is making beef stew tonight. You don't want to miss that." He said.

Ganondorf smiled and stood, "Thank you." He said, "Having _any_ stew sounds good right now." He said, pulling Ike's sword from the ground and picking up Meta Knight's as he walked by, extinguishing the flames and allowing the cold to rush back into the shelter. He sat down and watched the Great Fox disappear in the snow as Kirby piloted the Dragoon back home. He leaned his head against the window and fell asleep.

"Fox was sorry that you all crashed unprepared." Zelda said, she had transformed back and had Link resting on her lap.

"We don't know who to blame." Ike said, pulling a blanket he'd been given tighter over his shoulders. "Ganondorf crashed one of the wings into a mountain which caused us to crash. But Fox's ship wasn't stocked with anything that could've helped us."

"No, _Fox_ is sorry." Marth emphasized, "One of the engines had been malfunctioning lately and he'd completely forgotten about it until after you four had left." He said, "He promises he'd make it up to you."

"You know, _if_ he gets better from that fever he and Falco has." Toon Link crossed his arms.

Meta Knight and Ike looked at each other. "Link did find that root." Ike said.

"I got sick and needed it as bad as Fox and Falco did." Meta Knight said.

Marth and Toon Link leaned forward, "He found the root? Even though you guys crashed?" Toon Link asked in astonishment.

"He was trying to help." Meta Knight said.

"Well, where is it?" Marth asked.

Zelda picked up Link's hat, "Would this be it?" she asked.

"It is." Ike nodded.

Meta Knight thought for a moment and sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Meta Knight?" Marth called gently, "Is he alright?"

"He and Link were stabbed when the ship crashed." Ike explained.

"Why's Link blue like this?" Zelda asked in concern.

"He went out and found that root, completely ignoring his wound." He said, "You saw how far off those mountains were from us."

Zelda nodded and hugged what she could of Link. Even his skin was ice cold to the touch. Her blood ran cold and she tried hard not to cry, but she still held on and focused hard on listening to his breathing. Toon Link sat at Link's feet and kept a sad eye on the two.

Marth stepped forward and knelt in front of Meta Knight, checking his heartbeat and his breathing. "Meta Knight."

He opened his eyes slightly, making a weak eye contact with Marth, "What…?" he breathed.

"We need you to stay awake." He said. "Just stay with us. We're getting you home, proper treatment, food. You're going to be alright. Okay?" he managed an optimistic smile.

Meta Knight nodded and shuddered his wings, flapping them slightly to get blood flow.

"Home!" Kirby's voice called from the front of the Dragoon. "Home! Home!" Kirby tugged on Meta Knight's shoulder.

He stepped down from his seat and stumbled. Kirby turned around and tapped the top of his mask, "Home?"

"Yes, home." Meta Knight grunted and felt the wound in his stomach.

Marth picked up Meta Knight, "Kirby, it's best that he didn't walk right now." He walked off with them.

Toon Link stood up to wake Ganondorf, "Hey, we're home." He pat his arm.

Ganondorf took a deep breath and saw Zelda still sitting and brushing back Link's hair, unable to really move. He stood up, "Go ahead inside." He said to Toon Link.

He stood there a moment, scared that his adult counterpart was going to die. It wasn't until Ike led him out that he moved.

Ganondorf carefully slid his arms under Link's shoulders and his legs, lifting him up with ease, "Come, princess." He started walking off.

Zelda followed silently, clutching the hat in one hand tightly.

Mario watched Marth and Ganondorf set Meta Knight and Link on a bed, "Mama mia, what happened to-a them?" he asked, scratching his head with a gloved hand.

"The ship crashed," Ike said as he walked in.

"Link almost killed himself when he got the roots." Ganondorf said.

"Roots? The ones that-a Fox and Falco were talking about?" Mario ask.

That night, Peach and Yoshi made a feast to celebrate the four's return home and Fox's and Falco's recovery. There was food fit for a thanksgiving dinner. Peach and Yoshi set the food on the table in front of everyone when Peach noticed that Zelda was missing. She leaned toward Yoshi, "Do you know where Princess Zelda is?" she asked sweetly.

Yoshi shrugged and pointed at Ganondorf.

She made her way to him and asked him the same.

"Probably with Link." He said, eating a bite of mashed potatoes. "Check there." He said, not really in the mood to be talking at the moment.

"Is Meta Knight there too?"

"Yes. Go check there." He repeated.

She walked off, seeming unaffected by his tone. When she walked to find Zelda, she found her sitting in a chair next to Link. She was leaned forward and sleeping on Link's bed with her head resting in her arms. Next to the bed that Link (and technically Zelda too) was lying in, laid Meta Knight. Both swordsmen were sound asleep. "Any movement from them?" she gently asked Zelda, kneeling by her to whisper in her ear.

Zelda slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Link's pale face. It wasn't blue anymore, which was good, but he still lacked color. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Neither of them have moved." She said. "Well, Meta Knight has, a little bit. Then he went back to sleep." She looked at Peach, "How's Ike?" she asked.

"Well, he ate half of the meal on his plate after I gave it to him."

"So he's okay."

"Ganondorf is still a bit sour, but that's to be expected."

"Of course."

"Come on. You need to eat. You haven't eaten since you realized they were stranded." Peach grabbed Zelda's wrist and gently tugged her away. "They'll be okay, I promise." She said.

Zelda stoop up reluctantly and slowly followed Peach out.

Not five minutes after, Meta Knight stared up at the ceiling. Hearing only the feast outside the door and wishing badly that he was joining them. Not for the sociality, but for the food. He and Link both were hungry. He heard his stomach growling and it hurt even more since his stomach hurt enough as it is. He smelled the turkey and gravy with the stuffing and it taunted him. He couldn't handle it anymore. He forced himself to a sitting position and rotated his body to put his feet over the edge. He took a deep breath and hopped off the edge of the bed and landed on the floor, wincing at the sting in his wound. Now that it wasn't freezing outside, he could feel everything. He groaned and used the bed for balance. Then he started for the door.

"You should be in bed."

Meta Knight turned around and saw Link staring at him exhaustedly.

"You should be sleeping. Besides, I'm hungry."

"You think I'm not?" he said, never raising his voice once.

"I was going to bring something back. Besides, I didn't think you were awake."

Link forced himself to sit up, "Ah-"

"No! lay back down!" Meta Knight jumped and had him lay back down.

"Then you lay back down." Link whined.

Both of their stomachs growled at once. Meta Knight looked down, "Fine, you can get up, because I'm up. Fair is fair. We both might as well get something to eat." He helped Link sit up gently, then he helped him to the dining area.

Kirby was first to look up and notice Link and Meta Knight walked in. Everyone's attention turned to him, then them when he jumped up and down excitedly. "Link! Meta Knight! Food! Food!" he cheered.

The swordsmen blushed and slowly walked in. Plates were quickly served for them and seats were found right next to each other. Zelda carefully wrapped her arms around Link's neck and kissed him, "Good to see you're awake."

Kirby pat Meta Knight's head and pushed his plate toward him. "Food."

Meta Knight smiled under his mask, "Thank you, Kirby."


End file.
